NEWSROUND Thistle grows in Dunbar
Scottish independent builders merchant Thistle Timber & Building Supplies has opened its new branch covering East Lothian in Dunbar, part of its growth strategy.
Thistle are an established leader in the supply of landscaping, building and roofing materials. Its substantial investment in Dunbar will allow its collection service in Dunbar to flourish, and their comprehensive delivery service to extend into East Lothian.
Thistle started up in 1998 from a base at the Wisp in Edinburgh. In 2006 the company expanded to add a facility at the Gyle, and then in 2017 the original site at the Wisp was expanded.
CIC calls for more industry leaders to stand on ED&I
As the Construction Inclusion Coalition (CIC) marks its first year of activity across the industry, Coalition Chair
Angela Rushforth is calling for more construction leaders to add their voice to the cause, with momentum building behind the growing movement. To mark National Inclusion Week and its theme of “Impact Matters”, the CIC has published its first Impact Report, Together, it’s working, documenting the progress made by the organisations aligned to the CIC Built on Better Pledge during the first full year of the Coalition.
Angela Rushforth, who is also managing director of Toolstation, said: “12 months ago, we invited all construction businesses, regardless of size, to join the Coalition and to commit to improving ED&I across the sector through our Built on Better pledge. “As an industry we know we need to embrace a broader talent pool and to ensure construction is more accessible to everyone.t’s about building an inclusive industry that can meet the demands.” The first CIC Impact Report arrives in the wake of the high-profile collapse of Women into Construction and with the culture of the industry under intense scrutiny following the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 Report. Notable successes outlined in the first Impact Report, Together, it’s working includes: • A number of Coalition partners successfully ensuring that recruitment panels and candidate shortlists are more diverse • Coalition members launching a range of forums to discuss female focused issues • The introduction of new policies designed to address female focused issues • A range of stand-out initiatives to provide a better understanding of different minority groups and their perspectives.
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Thistle Dunbar branch manager, Cameron Martin, said: “The development at Dunbar has brought a number of new jobs to the area, and there will be further expansion and recruitment anticipated as the business grows. Thistle are delighted to highlight that over half of our new staff previously drove into Edinburgh to work, but now walk to work. And the remainder now have a much shorter commute to work than they had to endure previously. The development is having a positive contribution to the carbon footprint of our staff.”
SIG Roofing opens new branch in North West
SIG Roofing has opened a new branch in the North West, relocating its Leyland branch to Bamber Bridge, closer to its Preston customer base
and with easier access to the M6, M61 and M65 northern motorway network.
The new branch, which officially opened on September 17, comprises a unit providing offices and a warehouse covering 12,000 sq ft. as well as a spacious, secure yard area. The manager, Andrew Hinchliffe, said: “We’d like to thank all the suppliers, colleagues and industry partners for their support in making the opening day a success.”
Mirage switches to NBG
Family-run plumbing and heating merchant, Mirage Heating & Plumbing Supplies Ltd, has joined National Buying Group. The Tooting-based business serves South-West London, with plumbing and heating supplies, including boilers, smart controls and underfloor heating technology.
Raj Bharje, director at Mirage, said: “Joining NBG has been great. Everything is very transparent with them, so you really know what you’re getting. The whole process has been new and exciting for us and we’re already buying better.”
Mirage is the seventh independent merchant to become an NBG Partner this year and the fifth specialist heating and plumbing merchant, joining Fairfield, Plumb4Less, Valves Instruments Plus Ltd, and MPH.
Focus helps LBS continue growth
The opening of three branches, and a focus on long-term growth and maintaining a robust balance sheet helped independent family-owned and run builders merchant LBS maintain sales at £87m for the year ended December 31 2023. Operating profit dropped slightly year on year thanks to a concerted effort to retain competitive pricing.
The three branches opened in 2023 were its first in Cardiff, and Total Plumbing branches in both Llantrisant and Llandeilo. Since the year end, the company has made two acquisitions, both of established family businesses in key, strategic locations: DG Heath in Pontarddulais and Denman & Sons in Pengam. Ben Davies and Rachel Davies, LBS group managing directors said: “Our focus on 2023 continued to be on delivering great value to our customer base via best-in-class customer service and competitive pricing. We are proud to be the largest independent builders’ merchant in South Wales and our offer of strong teams in local branches in key locations combined with a strong stockholding and high product availability ensures that we can give customers a reason to choose us.
These values have stood us in good stead over the years, and continue into 2024. We are confident of further growth and investment to come. Our strategy remains unchanged.” Mark Davies, LBS Group company chairman said: “We are pleased with LBS Group performance in 2023 against the backdrop of a challenging marketplace.
“We have seen these
conditions continue into 2024, but we are making strong progress in winning market share and delivering growth in key areas.”
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net October 2024
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